Aspirating head for flowing liquids



May 13, 1930. G. MOW. WILLIAMSON ET AL 1,758,812

ASPIRATING HEAD FOR FLOWING LIQUIDS Filed June 25, 1928 l H g g a W a- 3 9 10 I} g g 6 .1, A la a 1 5 l4, 16 y 16/ 12 r J M A-ZYEEZZ ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1930 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE MCWILLIE WILLIAMSON AND GLASGOW W'ATKINS HAYVOOD, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA ASPIR-ATING HEAD FOR FLOWING LIQUIDS Application filed June 25,

. This invention relates to liquid flowing devices, and is more particularly concerned with an aspirating head for submergence in a well or reservoir of liquid to produce a st of suction-producing gaseous fluid under pressure causing movement of the liquid in a flow line.

A familiar instance of application is found in wells, of water or oil, in the liquid of which the aspirating head, connected to a source of gas, such as air, under pressure, is submerged, the suction created by the pressure jet causing the well liquid to be drawn upwardly in a suitable flow line, which, for example, may be the tubing of the well casing, or other tubing superposed upon or encircling the aspirating head.

A feature of the invention consists in a gas line having a pressure dome against which gas under pressure impinges to return by reactance through a jet enclosed and discharg ng into an injector nozzle communicating Wltll the liquid to be flowed. A dome used in this relation providing an area or head of gas under pressure against which the stream of compressed gas impinges and is turned back by reactance and under increased pressureto effect liquid flow by aspiration producing liquid suction.

As a related feature of the invention, the reactance jet discharges into a Venturi tube nozzle enclosed in the liquid flow line whose action tends to increase the rate of flow and which has the additional advantage of lightening the liquid by the injection of gas under pressure t-herethrough.

From this view point, a feature of the 111- vention consists of a suction-creating aspirating head including a Venturi nozzle for 1111- i liquid to be flowed having a presmersion 1n sure-gas in ecting head within and spaced from its lower end.

Another feature of the invention consists of an aspirating, suction-creating head for suspension and immersion in the liquid of a flow line and comprising an outer tubular casing having a Venturi tube interiorly thereof at its upper end, a pressure-gas conduit extending downwardly therethrough to lts lower end provided with a pressure creatmg dome at its extremity and an upwardly di- 1828. Serial No. 288,043.

rected pressure gas jet with a Venturi tube nozzle enclosing and spaced from said jet at its lower end and of less diameter than the tubular casing, the upper end of the Venturi nozzle extending into the lower end of the Venturi tube at the upper end of the casing.

This structural arrangement and combination is particularly advantageous in creating through the jet with its Venturi nozzle and the Venturi tube into which it extends, a jet of high velocity producing a highly efficient liquid flowing suction. A feature contributing to the efiiciency of the jet entering the Venturi nozzle is provided by inclining and fluting the bores in the jet through which the pressure gas flows by reactance from the pressure head dome, thereby breaking up the stream line flow and introducing the pressure gas into the Venturi nozzle as a whirling jet.

These and other features contributing to the efficiency of the device are more fully explained in the following detailed specification which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part there of and in which Figure 1 is a view in vertical elevation of the aspirating head suspended through its pressure gas supply line in a well bore with the casing of the bore forming the liquid flow line.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale through the aspirating head, detached.

Figure 3 is a transverse horizontal section taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section view on an enlarged scale of the jet tube detached from the head.

The invent-ion is shown as applied to a well whose casing 1, in thisinstance, forms the liquid flow line, the fluid being taken off at the surface through a pipe 2 leading to any suitable reservoir or source of use. The aspirating head of the present invention is sus pended immersed in the fluid of the well or other liquid reservoir through a pressure gas line or conduit 3 depending in the well casing 1 and having a control valve 4 at the head of said casing.

The aspirating head is attached to the lower end of the conduit 3 and is supported thereby. It comprises an outer tubular casing having a pressure gas line or tube section 6 extending downwardly therein and provided above the upper end of the casing 5 with an enlargement 7 having an externally threaded upper end 8 secured by a union 9 (Fig. 1) to the lower end of the main gas conduit 3. The conduit section 6 is supported from and centered within the outer casing 5 by means of a plurality of circumferentially spaced arms 10 fixed to or integral with the upper edge of the casing 5 and secured as by welding or otherwise, to the enlarged portion 7 of the upper end of the tube section 6. Adjacent to the upper end of the outer casing 5, a Venturi tube 11 is secured to its inner surface, the pressure gas tube section extending downwardly therethrough in centered and spaced relation to its sides. At the lower end of the casing, a plurality of axially spaced arms 12 extend inwardly from its sides and are provided with vertically extending portions 13 adjacent to their upper ends and inturned flanges 14 at their upper ends. These flanges support the lower edge 0-1: a Venturi nozzle 15 which may be and preferably is rigidly mounted on and secured to these flanges by any suitable means such as welding, with the upper end of the Venturi nozzle extending within and spaced from the sides of the lower end of the Venturi tube 11. The diameter of the Venturi nozzle 15, externally, is less than the internal diameter of the outer casing 5 so that an annular channel is formed between the nozzle and the inner side of the casing surrounding the nozzle. The lower end of the conduit section 6 terminates substantially at the lower end of the nozzle 15 and is threaded into a central bore16 formed in a jet head 17 having a bevelled lower edge 18 designed to rest upon the upper flanges 14 of the spaced arms 12 and having a depending tubu la r sha'nk portion 18 seating between and engaging the vertical sides 13 of said arms 12. The lower extremity of'the tubular portion 18 is reduced in diameter and internally threaded at 19 to receive the threaded upper open end of a pressure dome tube 20 whose lower closed end is shown as positioned at the bottom of the outer casing 5. The pressure jet head 17 is drilled to provide a circumferentiallyextending series'of outwardly inclined jet bores 21, the sides of which at their upper ends are preferably fluted to imjiiart a whirling motion to the pressure gas fed downwardly through the tube sections 6 into the pressure dome 20 and rebounding through the bores 21 'in 't-he pressure jet head 17. The stream line fiow of'gas under pressure will be broken up by thefluted sides'of'thejet bores and cause the pressure gas to exit from the .jet bores with a whirling motion. The gas thus discharging will'engagethe inwardly tapering sides gas, which in the majority of installations of the Venturi nozzle 15 and exit therefrom with increased velocity into the lower end of the Venturi tube 11. The Venturi nozzle 15 being spaced from the jet head 17 will function as an injector, the jet of pressure gas drawing liquid upwardly with it through the interior of the Venturi nozzle 15 by reason of the suction created, and discharging this liquid lightened and intermingled with the pressure gas into the Venturi tube 11, creating a further suction or injector action between the upper end of the Venturi nozzle and the lower end of the Venturi tube 11 ef fective to flow by suction, liquid up between the outer side of the Venturi nozzle 15 and the casing 5, the two streams of liquid entering the Vent-uri tube at this point and through said tube having their velocity i11- creased and a most etlicient suction produced, with an economical expenditure of power as represented by the consumption of pressure 7 Would take the form of compressed air, although in many instances where natural gas is produced at or in the neighborhood of a well, it may be conveniently and economically utilized by this purpose. The pressure head created at the base of the dome tube 20 forces the pressure gas by reactance through what may be termed the reactance jet head 17 with uniform pressure accentuated by the pressure head created by the dome formation, and the initial suction created by the reaction pressure jet head in conjunction with its Venturi nozzle or injector causes suction and flow of the liquid therethrough at an increased velocity due to the Venturi form of the nozzle which is further and additionally increased by the successive use of a second Venturi tube into which the stream from the -\Tenturi nozzle is directed.

The physical form in which the present invention is embodied, presents a relatively simple structure well adapted to economical manufacture and providing for efficient economical operation for flowing liquid through the use of gas under pressure. lVhile the disclosed structure is, in its specific form, a preferred physical embodiment of our invention, it is intended as illustrative and not restrictive thereof and subject to physical change and adaptation within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat we claim therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An immersible liquid lifting head comprising a depending pressure gas feeding tube, an outer sleeve suspended and supported at its upper end from said tube at a point above its lower end and depending to a point below the lower end of said tube in concentric spaced relation thereto, a jet tube of larger diameter than said gas tube joined at its upper end to the lower end of the gas tube and depending therefrom, said jet tube being spaced from the inner wall of said outer sleeve and having an enlarged upper end concentric with said gas tube and provided with an annular series of upwardly directed jet passages therethrough substantially concentric with and circumferentially outward from the lower end of said gas tube, an internal seat on said outer sleeve receiving and supporting the enlarged upper end of said jet tube and providing passages for the flow of liquid upwardly therethrough, an elongated inverted tubular gas pressure dome having its open upper end jointed to the lower end of said jet tube and depending therefrom in alineinent therewith, and an independent Venturi nozzle interposed between the upper end of said jet tube and said outer sleeve in spaced concentric relation thereto and sup ported at its lower end by said internal sleeve seat outwardly of and enclosing the upper jet end of said jet tube.

2. An immersible liquid lifting head comprising a depending pressure gas feeding tube, an outer sleeve suspended and supported at its upper end from said tube at a point above its lower end and depending to a point below the lower end of said tube in concentric spaced relation thereto, a jet tube of larger diameter than said gas tube joined at its upper end to the lower end of the gas tube and depending therefrom, said jet tube being spaced from the inner wall of said outer sleeve and having an enlarged upper end concentric with said gas tube and provided with an annular series of upwardly directed jet passages therethrough substantially concentric with and xcircumferentially outward from the lower end of said gas tube, an internal seat on said outer sleeve receiving and supporting the enlarged upper end of said jet tube and providing passages for the flow of liquid upwardly therethrough, an elongated inverted tubular gas pressure dome having its open upper end joined to the lower end of said jet tube and depending therefrom in alinenient therewith, and an independent Venturi nozzle interposed between the upper end of said jet tube and said outer sleeve in spaced concentric relation thereto and supported at its lower end by said internal sleeve seat outwardly of and enclosing the upper jet end of said jet tube, and a second Venturi tube of greater internal diameter supported by and within said outer sleeve abovesaid Venturi nozzle with its lower end enclosing and spaced from the upper end of said nozzle.

3. An immersible liquid lifting unit com- "prising a depending pressure gas feeding tube, a concentric spaced outer sleeve sus' pended and supported at its upper end from the gas tube at a point above its lower end and extending downwardly below said lower end with its interior below the lower end of the gas tube provided with an annular series of spaced inwardly and downwardly extending ribs providing an outer annular supporting seat at their upper ends permitting the upward flow of liquid therethrough and a central passage therebetween, a jet tube alined with and of greater diameter than said gas tube seated adjacent its upper end on the upper ends of said ribs and depending through the central passage therebetween with its upper end connected to and communicating with the lower end of the gas tube, said upper end of the jet tube having an annular series of upwardly directed pressure gas jets concentric with and externally of the gas tube, an elongated inverted tubular gas dome secured at its open upper end to and depending from the lower end of said jet tube, and an independent Venturi tube seated at its lower end on the upper ends of said ribs outwardly of the upper end of said jet tube in concentric spaced relation to said jet tube and outer sleeve.

4. An immersible liquid lifting unit cornprising a depending gas feeding tube, a concentric spaced outer sleeve suspended and supported at its upper end from the gas tube at a point above its lower end and extending downwardly below said lower end, with its interior below said lower end provided with an annular series of spaced inwardly and downwardly extending ribs providing an outer annular supporting seat at their upper ends permitting upward flow of liquid therethrough and a central passage therebetween, a jet tube alined with the gas tube having an externally flanged head seating on said outer annular rib support and depending through said central passage, the upper end of said tube being connected to the lower end of the gas tube and outwardly of said lower end having an annular upwardly directed series of jet passages therethrough, an elongated tubular inverted gas dome, alined with and secured at its open upper end to the lower end of said jet tube, an independent Venturi nozzle having its lower end seated on and fixed to said annular supporting seat and extending upwardly therefrom in spaced relation to said outer sleeve, and gas tube and enclosing the upper jet end of the jet tube within and spaced from its lower end, and a second Venturi tube of greater diameter secured to the interior of said outer sleeve with its lower end enclosing therewithin the upper end of said Venturi nozzle.

r GEORGE McWV. WILLIAMSON.

GLASGOW W. HAYWOOD. 

